The Jump
by MissGlobal22
Summary: Sequel to The Key. When Ember accidentally time jumps, she meets young Agent Kay in 1969. They end up trying to find the same thing- the truth. And when the universe is on the verge of destruction, the Key must step up and take her place as the world's only hope.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Yellow Boots

"Don't jump!"

A girl in a nice, bright yellow sundress stood atop the Chrysler Building. She looked down into the street below, which was crowded with people, watching her. Firemen and police urged her to come down. The girl shook her head and laughed. Closing her eyes, she held out her arms...

She felt as if something were dropping into her left yellow boot, but ignored it.

...And jumped.

The girl smiled for the first time in a month. Death was about to greet her, and she would be happy to follow him. Wind rushed into her face. She braced herself for impact that was sure to come, pressing her heels into the soles of her rubber boots. Her left heel felt as if it were pressing down on something other than the sole of a boot, but again the girl ignored it. A few minutes passed. No impact came. She opened her eyes to see what was going on.

She seemed to be in a frozen state just a few inches from the sidewalk. A split second later, she dropped onto the pavement.

"Ow," the girl muttered.

She was just about to get up, when a hand extended to help her.

"You okay, ma'am?"

She looked up to see the face that belonged to the voice. It was a man in a suit, with dark hair and kind brown eyes.

"K-Kay..." she stammered, eyes widening.

"Ma'am, are you-?" Before he could finish his sentence, the girl fainted.

* * *

"Wake up, ma'am."

The girl opened her eyes to see that they were now in a vintage building. Aliens and humans talked and walked around the vicinity, doing many different tasks. When she finally focused on the man that had tried to help her, he was staring at her intently.

"You know my name," he said.

"I...I..."

"Who are you?"

"First, where...am I?" the girl asked.

"That's classified, ma'am."

"What's the date?"

"October 5, 1969."

"Oh my God..." She began to faint again, but the man put a hand on her shoulder.

"Stay awake, please. Now, who are you?"

"E-Ember Smith..." Once again, something prodded her left foot. She reached into her boot and pulled out the item of annoyance.

"Ma'am, can you tell me what you're doing with a time jump device?"

"A time jump device?"

"That thing in your hands."

"I...the Chrysler Building..."

"Are you telling me that you purposely time jumped from the Chrysler Building?"

"I don't know...I'm not sure. I was just trying to, uh..." How was Ember going to explain her attempted suicide? It wasn't exactly a subject one could handle lightly.

"Just trying to what?" Kay persisted.

"Jump..." She did a gesture with her hand as if it were jumping off a building and splatting on the sidewalk.

Kay's eyes filled with concern. "I see. Where are you from?"

"New York, maybe...um, thirty-seven years from now."

"Thirty-seven years..." he repeated. "And what's your story?"

Ember reluctantly recounted the tales of her life, since the Men in Black found her to Camro's threats. Some things that she said gave her that twisted feeling she'd had a few weeks earlier, as if something wasn't right.

Kay leaned back in the chair. "I...I what?"

"It's a faint memory, but you...I think you beat me."

"I can't believe that I'd hit a pretty girl like you." He sucked in a breath after he had said that, like he'd said something wrong.

"But, you believe my story?" Ember whispered.

"You've got a piece of evidence there in your hands, don't you?"

"What happens now?"

"I suppose you'll just have to go back."

"No..." She began to cry.

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I can't go back...He'll kill me...Camro will kill me for jumping, or..." She cut herself off with a giant sob.

"Calm down, ma'am. Everything will be alright. I'm not quite sure what to do, but I guess you could, ah, stay with me, until we figure things out.."

Ember bit her lip, but convinced herself that this would be fine. She would be safe. She nodded.

Kay stood up and offered his hand. A small smile nearly splashed across his face, but he forced it down. "Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Sleep

On the drive to Kay's apartment, they listened to Roy Rogers songs and barely spoke. Ember kept looking out the window. Kay tapped his finger on the steering wheel, then glanced at her for a second. The yellow sundress and matching hard plastic headband made her look a little like she belonged in 1969.

"You hungry?" he asked.

She shook her head, now looking straight ahead. He realized she didn't want to look at him.

"Something wrong, Ace?"

"It's nothing," Ember lied.

Kay resumed tapping on steering wheel. He knew she was lying, but he didn't want to pry. Soon, they came to Kay's apartment. Ember followed him like a lost puppy. Her eyes were listless. She sat on Kay's couch, hugging her arms, staring at the floor.

"Coffee?" he asked.

"Sure."

* * *

They sat together and sipped on their coffee. Silence enveloped them, until Embed dropped her cup.

"Ember?"

She screamed and began to tremble.

"Ember?"

Her eyes widened. She started to mutter, "No, no..."

There was a vision before her eyes, of a man walking in the rain. He started to pull something out of his coat, but before she could see what it was, the scene changed. The older Agent Kay held a newspaper with a headline of, "GIRL JUMPS FROM BUILDING, NO BODY FOUND".

Suddenly, Ember snapped out of her vision. Kay was holding her head in his hands. His eyes were pleading with her. When he saw that she was alright, he immediately pulled his hands away.

"What happened?" Kay asked.

"Didn't I tell you, when I explained? I'm...I'm a seer. And, supposedly, the Key."

"The Men in Black have been searching for the Key for a very long time."

"They search for it in the future, too. But they probably think I'm dead."

* * *

Night crept it's way up on them. Kay told Ember goodnight, and she lay on the couch to sleep. She just couldn't do it. She was restless. Ember stared at the ceiling, listening to the noise from outside. For two weeks now, whenever she slept, she had nightmares of her past. Something just wasn't right. A rhythmic, gentle rain began outside, making Ember feel drowsy. She was almost asleep when Kay walked into the room. His hands were in his pockets, and he stared at the floor as he made way over to the couch. Ember sat up.

Agent Kay sat next to her. "You couldn't sleep either?"

She shook her head.

"Why not, Slick?"

"Accidentally going from the future to 1969 doesn't exactly help you sleep. And..." Ember stopped, then asked, "How am I supposed to save the world?"

"I don't know, but your vision scared me there," Kay replied.

She ignored this. "How could I ever destroy the world, either? How could I lose everything I'd ever cared about in a day? How could Camro, someone I trusted, just..."

Kay stared at her. He couldn't blame her for being like this. Virtually everyone in her family was dead, she was threatened with death daily, and now she had inexplicably traveled to the past.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. Kay could tell she was trying to refrain from crying, but a small tear was making it's way down her cheek. He wiped it and held her.

Ember cried silently into his shoulder. They sat like that for an hour until Kay realized that she'd cried herself to sleep. He, too, gave into slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Orrin

Ember was having a nightmare. Camro kept coming towards her, holding something in his hand.

A neuralyzer.

"It was never Kay," Camro whispered. "Never the Men in Black. Now that you know, you die!"

Suddenly, she was jolted awake. Kay was wiggling from her grasp. They'd fallen asleep together on the couch and now early morning light was streaming into the apartment. Ember let go of him, and faint amusement showed on his face.

"Morning, Slick," he greeted her. "You want some coffee before we have to deal with the invasion?"

"No. Wait, what?"

"Sarlokian invasion. You know, your people. It doesn't seem too serious yet."

"Great. Are you sure they're not going to 'destroy the galaxy' or something like that?" Ember said sarcastically.

"I'm not completely sure, but anything could happen."

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to meet up with some aliens in Central Park."

* * *

Ember and Kay walked into the middle of Central Park where three men were waiting. One of the men looked like the person from Ember's vision.

"So, you decided to show up, Kay," said one. "We've got some business to take care of."

"Who's the girl you've got there, Kay?" asked the second.

"Nobody you need to know. Is this about the invasion?" Kay replied.

"Yes. I want to ensure protection for my son, the Konian prince." The first gestured to the third, who was a young man with unnatural bright red hair.

"I'm sure your son will be safe-"

"You realize that the Konians are not in good favor with the Sarlokians. If they kill a member of the monarchy, intergalactic war could spread, endangering your precious Earth."

"I realize that, but I don't want to have to endanger innocent civilians the Sarlokians might try to go through."

"You should think about this carefully, Kay," the second alien put in.

The red-haired man looked to Ember, muttering something about Sarlokian spawn.

_How did he know?_ Ember thought.

"Fine. We'll give the prince protection, but I'm gonna have to take him to headquarters." Kay had finally given in.

"Do what you will. As long as he is not killed."

* * *

The Konian prince, whose name was apparently Orrin, kept staring at Ember in the car. Finally, he said, "Why are you guarding a Sarlokian?"

"Is that any of your business, Slick?" Kay shot back, ignoring the fact that Orrin knew she was a Sarlokian at all.

"Where are you taking me?" the prince asked.

"Headquarters."

Ember stared at Kay. He looked intently at the road, furrowing his brow.

"Is there something on your mind?" Ember whispered.

"I'm fine," the agent assured her.

She frowned. He was definitely lying. Finally, they parked in front of MIB headquarters. Kay walked Orrin in, while Ember waited patiently.

Agent K returned about twenty minutes later. They began the drive back to the apartment. An awkward silence enveloped them.

"You've only said one thing since we met up with the Konians."

Ember looked over at Kay. "What?" she asked.

"You usually...talk more."

"Why does that concern you?" The seer's words came out more harshly than intended.

"I don't know, Slick."

Another wave of silence hit them until they arrived back at Kay's apartment. Ember stopped looking at him, just like when she'd first arrived. There was something she needed to know. But she couldn't put her finger on it. There was something locked away, and she had lost the key.

* * *

**Sorry for the kind of late update, guys. I had writer's block. Things will hopefully pick up for chapter four... - MISS GLOBAL**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

A Wisp of a Memory

Kay had gone back to MIB Headquarters, leaving Ember alone. She felt more lost than ever. She closed her eyes and thought. There was a tiny wisp of a memory; a man trying to save her from a room with a glass wall. As soon as it had come, it was gone.

Ember silently slipped out of the apartment and walked calmly down the street. This place felt strange compared to her life in the future. Suddenly, there it was. Central Park. She had felt drawn to this place after getting that memory. Ember walked slowly, observing every detail of nature. It was so-

"Hello, Ember the Sarlokian."

She turned around to see Orrin's familiar face.

"Orrin? Aren't you supposed to be with an agent?" Ember asked incredulously.

"I didn't like him."

"You were only with him for, what, forty minutes?"

Orrin looked at her like she was being extremely stupid. "Forty minutes can tell a lot about a person."

"And how did you know I was a Sarlokian?"

The prince looked at his feet and closed his eyes. He mouthed something that Ember couldn't make out.

"How did you know?" she pressed.

"I was curious about Agent Kay. My father told me he was the most feared human in the universe. I wanted to know what made him that way," he began. "I began to follow him around, and I saw when he found you in front of the Chrysler Building. I convinced my father to take me with him to visit the Men in Black. I listened in on your story."

"You what?!"

Orrin froze. He looked warily at something behind Ember. Slowly, she turned around to see Kay walking briskly toward her.

"Damn it, Ember. I come home and you're missing!" Kay shouted. He betrayed his angry expression by hugging her tightly. "Don't you ever do that again."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Agent K broke from the hug and looked at Orrin. "What are you doing here? Agent E is in a lot of trouble because of you."

"I didn't like him," Orrin repeated.

"Orrin, I swear, if you're not back at headquarters-"

The alien was already gone.

* * *

"You could've gotten yourself hurt. What would we do if someone hurt you?" Kay lectured Ember. They were now back in his apartment.

"I wouldn't have gotten hurt, Kay. I'm twenty years old. I think I can handle-"

"You 'think' you can handle it. Do you know how worried I was?" He paused and sat next to her on the couch. Then, he continued, "You're my responsibility. The MIB would have my neck if you were killed."

"Is that the only reason you care? Your job? Not the fact that I'm- at least half of - a human being, but just that I'm your insignificant responsibility?" Ember argued.

Kay was suddenly quiet. He looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"You are more to me than a responsibility. You are more to me than a job," he whispered.

"What am I, Kay?" Her voice cracked. It sounded like a genuine question.

"You are the Key."

* * *

That night, as Kay slept, Ember crept into his room. She was still wearing her yellow dress from the first day she'd arrived. She slipped under his sheets and rested her head on his chest.

"Hmm?" Kay mumbled groggily. He draped an arm around her, only half conscious.

Soon, he was fully awake. Ember had already dozed off. Having her sleeping next to him like this would have made him feel uncomfortable if not for all that had happened. He brushed a golden brown hair out of her face and thought of how lonely she must have felt all this time. Everything she had ever loved, it seemed, had been ripped away from her.

"Goodnight, Ember," Kay whispered.

He had no idea what would await them the next day.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Foreseen

Kay had gotten a call about a couple juvenile aliens getting into fights. He drove along, humming a song that had come on the radio. Ember quietly sat in the passenger seat. She watched the people walking by on the sidewalk. She knew quite a bit about the sixties, but living in the past fascinated her. Just one simple action could change the course of history.

They pulled up to an alley where two young men were putting graffiti on the walls.

"Hey, boys," Kay said casually. "Been in any trouble lately?"

"Kay!" the first man said, trying to hide the paint behind his back.

"How are you?" the second man asked.

"Look, there's a girl!" The first elbowed his friend and pointed to Ember.

Kay stepped in front of her. "I heard you've been getting in some fights lately."

"Of course not...! Right, Paul?" the second replied. He looked to his friend, Paul, for help.

"Uh, yeah!"

"Sure. So that's why I got all these complaints?" Agent K looked at them with an expression of contempt.

"I couldn't say. Could you, Johnny?" Paul said.

Johnny shook his head. Ember had to stifle a laugh at the act these two aliens in disguise were trying to pull.

"C'mon, fellas. We're gonna ship you off this rock, back to whatever planet you come from," the agent ordered. He rounded them up, putting them in the backseat of the car.

* * *

After that little adventure, Kay and Ember had the two men dropped off at MIB headquarters, and started to drive home.

"Well, that was fun," Ember laughed.

"It's not always that easy, Slick. Like with the Sarlokians; they're still approaching, and fast."

Dark clouds started to fill the once bright sky. A gentle rain fell down upon the city.

"What else have Sarlokians done?" Ember asked curiously.

"Destroyed a couple alien races. Human murders. Threats. They're pretty much a violent species," Kay explained. "Not you, though, Ace."

Kay braked suddenly as a man purposely stepped out in front of the car.

"Agent Kay! It's me!" the man shouted, smiling mischievously.

The agent looked at Ember. "Stay here."

What was familiar about the man? There was something...

It was the man from her vision. Same jacket, same air of bad intentions.

"Kay," she whispered. She started to get out of her seat.

Kay looked back at her and mouthed, 'No, stay back.'

"Kay." She was out of the car now. Ember walked toward him, the raindrops pounding down on her. "You have to get away from him."

The man looked wary. He reached into his jacket like the seer had foreseen and brought out a long silver gun.

"Kay!"

Ember ran towards them. Kay couldn't get hurt. Not him. She was fast enough to get to Kay and block him, right before the man pulled the trigger. It all happened in slow motion for Ember. The man looked defiant and laughed. Kay screamed. Anger replaced the agent's emotion. He shouted something at the stranger, who disappeared with a snap of his fingers.

Ember's vision started to go dark. The man that was her protector kneeled over her. He called for help. Before the seer blacked out, she realized she had just saved the life of the most feared human in the universe.

* * *

**Sorry for the late updates. I've been kind of busy. I'm going to try my best to keep this steadily updated. - MISS GLOBAL**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Destruction

Kay tuned out the noise of reality. He tried to keep Ember tethered to the world, a job he wasn't doing so well. Her lungs must have been filling with blood by now. Griffin the Arcanian's words rang in his ears.

_Where there is death, there must always be death..._

The seer's breath came in ragged gasps.

"Ember? Ember, can you hear me?" he shouted.

Ember didn't answer, her eyes closed, and she blacked out. Kay didn't want to think about what could come after that. Soon, MIB response teams were arriving. Medical personnel started trying to get Kay away from Ember.

"Agent K, we need you to move, quickly!" demanded an agent.

Kay ignored him. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked. He followed the people that were carrying her away on a stretcher.

"Kay, you can't come with the medical unit," a nurse told him.

"No!" Kay objected.

But the ambulance was already loading up and heading away.

* * *

An MIB doctor walked out into the waiting room and greeted Kay. There was a foreboding silence that followed, and the doctor looked at the young agent sympathetically.

"Is she...?" Kay's voice broke.

"No, no, she's alive. You can see her now." The doctor led him to a room, then held open the door. Kay walked in cautiously.

Ember was lying in a bed with her eyes scanning the area. She seemed to relax when she saw Kay.

"Hey, Slick," he tried to say casually.

The seer smiled. "Hi."

The door clicked shut as the doctor left.

"How're you feeling?"

"You mean, aside from being shot by some crazy alien guy? Good, I guess," she replied softly. She tried to move and winced with pain.

Kay sat in the seat next to her bed and whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Ember asked. She frowned.

"I should have done something."

"It's not your fault."

They were quiet for a moment.

"Did they say when you were gonna be out of here?" Kay asked.

"In a few days."

One of the nurses poked her head in. "Agent K! You're needed."

* * *

"Fill me in, Miss O," Kay said to O, as they walked hurriedly toward the center of MIB headquarters.

"Well, the Sarlokians are advancing and a warning shot has been fired. Agents are scrambling to calm things down. As you can imagine, Chief X is terribly upset," she explained.

Headquarters was in chaos. People were running to different stations, sending messages, and speaking to alien representatives.

"That girl, they say she's Sarlokian? Is she dangerous?" O asked.

"No. She's half human. Nice girl."

"Kay!" X rushed up to them. "The damn Sarlokians are trying to destroy the galaxy! This is the last thing we need! I want to send you for diplomacy...or, if things go bad, destruction. You know how they are. Go get 'em."

"Where to?" Kay asked.

"The place where the girl was shot. You can't miss it."

And so Kay went back to that horrible place. X was right; it was unmistakable. The street was blocked off and crowded with MIB response vans. Three agents guarded two men with dark hair and dark eyes. One of the men smiled mischievously.

"Agent...My name is Geon. This is my fellow representative, Nathaniel," the man said slowly.

"I'll take it from here." Kay nodded to three other Men in Black, then addressed the representatives. "I don't think two Sarlokians would come down to Earth just to make peace. What do you want?"

"Oh, Agent K, always jumping to conclusions," Nathaniel said. He did something that looked halfway between a frown and a grin.

"But, yes, we are not here to exactly make peace. We do desperately wish to destroy your world," added Geon.

"So what exactly are you here for?"

The two Sarlokians exchanged a glance.

"We are here for the girl."


End file.
